St
Francis before the Sultan
These frescoes refer to Francis's journey to Egypt to convert the Muslims
there. Although he didn't achieve this, it seems he was welcomed by the
Sultan who enjoyed the debate between Francis and the Muslim scholars.
The probably apocryphal story of the ordeal by fire comes down in a
number of versions. The idea was that Francis and a Muslim scholar
should undergo the ordeal; God would save the representative of the
true religion. It is not clear who came up with the idea. In the end,
though, it seems it didn't happen. In the Bardi image the Sultan
appears to be pointing at the fire and looking at the
scholars, who don't look at all keen on the idea. Facial expressions are
rather less clear in the Assisi version.
It seems an odd idea to focus on a mission that clearly did not succeed,
but the story illustrates an important aspect of Franciscanism:
missionary work, that provided them with mainstream rather than
heretical credentials.
On our visit to sites in the Holy Land in 2016, we were surprised to
discover that many of them were cared for by Franciscans - they are
still there. Perhaps we shouldn't have been surprised.

Upper Church, Assisi

Bardi Chapel

The Apparition at Arles
This legend is taken from Bonaventure's Life of St Francis. St Anthony
of Padua is preaching a sermon to Franciscan brothers when an apparition
of St Francis appears in the room. (This is while Francis was still
alive, not long before the stigmatization.) In the Assisi fresco the
brothers are concentrating on the words of St Anthony, but one friar,
named by Bonaventure as Monaldus, sees the vision of Francis. In the
Bardi chapel Giotto
slightly changes the story: here a number of the friars are gazing at
Francis.
The posture of Francis, with arms stretched out in the form of the
crucified Christ, may well be a precursor to the stigmatization to come.